Carol Rosegg
Skyler Volpe (left) and Kaleb Wells in the 20th anniversary tour of Rent.
Remarkably, it’s been 20 years since Jonathan Larson’s Rent debuted on Broadway. To commemorate the milestone, a new tour of the rock musical, loosely based on Puccini’s opera La Bohème, will take the stage at Overture Center Jan. 2-7. The recipient of four Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent felt revolutionary in the pre-Y2K world. It focused on poor, struggling artists in New York City’s Alphabet City, many of whom were dying from AIDS. Critics called it an angsty version of Hair, updated for Generation X, and as a member of that age group, I can attest to its appeal. But does that make Rent a period piece? Or worse, irrelevant?
I asked leaders of Madison-area arts groups about their memories of the musical, how it affected them as artists and what they think about the once-groundbreaking work now.
Capital City Theatre’s artistic director Andy Abrams saw the original Broadway production in 1996 in previews, right before it opened. “The music was interesting and original and the show dealt with issues that Broadway musicals had not really been comfortable dealing with at that point,” says Abrams. “We had a show full on dealing with the AIDS epidemic, homelessness and the homosexual lifestyle. I certainly had the CD on my revolving playlist for the next year or so. And I’m a huge La Bohème fan, so I enjoyed the parallel.”
Local director and choreographer Brian Cowing believes the show connected with a generation of young people. “[It] had a huge impact on what they considered art, and how art can affect change,” says Cowing. “With Rent, you form a beautiful sense of community and that’s what the show is all about. How do we cherish our time with our chosen family and the people we love? That is why I think it will always resonate with people.”
Carol Rosegg
The cast of Rent.
Erica Berman, Children’s Theater of Madison’s director of education, says she was a huge fan from a young age. She grew up in New Jersey and stood in line for cheap tickets for the Broadway show four times. “When speaking with the teens we serve at CTM about Rent, I always explain it as my generation’s version of Hamilton,” says Berman. “There was simply nothing else like it.”
For Sarah Marty, the producing artistic director of Four Seasons Theatre, Rent initially hit a sour note. “It was the first show I saw on Broadway, and I was really disappointed by the whole experience. It just didn’t work. For a while, I thought it was one of those shows that was only successful as a cast recording,” says Marty. But her attitude shifted when Four Seasons co-produced Rent with Madison Theatre Guild at the Bartell in 2011. “The connection between the talented cast of Madison actors and the audience was palpable,” says Marty. “There was an urgency to the storytelling and the energy of the packed houses was incredible.”
Music Theatre of Madison’s executive director Meghan Randolph says she often forgets how wonderful Rent’s music is and how much she enjoys it. “I appreciate it for the important role it played in musical theater history, in so many ways,” says Randolph. “I do think, however, that new generations are going to experience it in an entirely different context. It’s interesting to see that something that felt so timely when I fell in love with it 20 years ago has aged so profoundly in a short time.”
Local actor, producer and director Jim Chiolino isn’t a huge fan. “I don’t exactly hate Rent,” he says. “That’s too strong a word. But I do find much of it trite and formulaic, grabbing at the heartstrings a little too hard.” Still, he says, there are good reasons to see the show. His favorite moment is a round the characters sing in a support group: “Will I lose my dignity?/Will someone care?/Will I wake tomorrow/from this nightmare?”
“Wow,” says Chiolino.
Editor's note: We corrected this article to reflect that the Madison tour stop runs through Jan. 7, not Jan. 9.
